MADISON, Wis. -- Warm weather may be a welcome event, but it also signals the beginning of Lyme disease season.

Over the next several months there will be plenty of deer ticks out and about. They're the size of a sesame seed or smaller but can transmit the potentially debilitating lyme disease.

Experts advise the public not to panic upon finding a tick. It needs at least 24 hours to transmit the disease and chances are, the tick probably isn't even a carrier.

"It's estimated only 2 percent of the ticks that are in the most endemic areas of Wisconsin -- we're talking about Washburn Country up by Hayward -- only 2 percent of those ticks are harboring the organism," says Dr. Thomas Saari, Director of Pediatric Medical Education at Meriter Hospital.

The percentage is even less around the city.

Still, Saari says go to a doctor for treament if you see these symptoms:

• A "bulls eye" type rash with flu-like symptoms
• Achy joints with a headache

If Lyme disease is diagnosed early, antibiotic treatment usually gets rid of the infection quickly and completely so that no further complications develop.

If Lyme disease goes undetected or is not properly treated, problems involving the skin, joints, nervous system, and heart may develop weeks, months, or even years later. These problems usually improve after antibiotic treatment, but in rare cases the disease may cause permanent damage.

Recent studies show that most people with Lyme disease who are diagnosed early and treated appropriately with antibiotics have no long-term disabilities resulting from the disease.

CDC

American Lyme Disease Foundation